the name that Benjamin Franklin gave her, and this name fitted her about the best of all. She had had several names. Jones used her as his flagship, and her name has come down in history, for she took part in the greatest naval battle that was ever fought between two single vessels on the high seas.
The officers were all French, but the fleet sailed under the American flag. The “Richard” had a strange crew of three hundred and seventy-five sailors of several different countries, and she carried forty-two guns. Each captain wanted to command the whole fleet, and all were jealous of the famous American. Many of them deserted until Paul Jones, who was now a commodore, had only three vessels besides his own.
They sailed from France in the middle of August, 1779, and cruised along the Yorkshire coast. After taking a few prizes, as usual, the Commodore was preparing to end his voyage in Holland, when something happened which
